An example of this trend is the absolute abandonment of the traditional spatial layout of the Ruthenian tserkva in favour of Catholic influences.

History

The present tserkva was erected in 1830. In 1855, a sacristy was added and a now-defunct wooden free-standing belfry was erected near the tserkva. In 1939, a new choir gallery was added. The predecessor of the existing structure - another wooden tserkva - was located about 300 metres east of its successor, in a spot marked by a cast iron cross placed there in 1914. The tserkva served as a filial church of the parish in Czarna Górna. After 1951, the tserkva stood abandoned and was subsequently put to a variety of uses; for example, until 1976, it was used by the State Forests National Forest Holding for the purposes of storing conifer cones. In 1962 the building was partially restored; the restoration involved the replacement of the wood shingle cladding on the roof and walls. In 1976, the tserkva was transferred to the Roman Catholic parish in Czarna, with a thorough renovation following one year later. From 1978, the tserkva is used as a Roman Catholic filial church of the parish in Czarna.

Description

The tserkva is oriented towards the east. It stands on a small hill right next to the road leading from Ustrzyki Dolne to Czarna, on the eastern side of the road. The area around the tserkva is fenced. A small wooden belfry stands behind the fence, near the entrance.

The church is made of wooden logs positioned on a stone foundation. The building consists of two sections - the nave and a much smaller chancel, both of which were built on a floor plan approximating the shape of a square. A sacristy abuts the chancel from the north. The western facade features a small post and beam porch abutting the nave. The building is compact in shape, the roof above the nave slightly higher than above the chancel. The walls of the sanctuary and the nave are equal in height. The nave and the chancel feature a standard gable roof and a gable roof with a hip end respectively, the roof above the chancel being slightly lower. A bulbous steeple rises from the roof ridge above the nave. The sacristy is covered by a shed roof, while the porch features a gable roof. The rectangular windows of the church are topped with segmental arches. All external surfaces of the walls and the roof are clad in wood shingles, with the gable end of the western facade covered with vertically positioned weatherboards. The ceilings inside the tserkva are all flat. A suspended choir gallery runs along the western wall of the nave. The original interior fittings of the tserkva have been lost.

The building is available all year round and may be visited upon prior telephone appointment.

Complied by Ryszard Kwolek, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Rzeszów, 20.08.2014.

Bibliography

• Karta ewidencyjna, Żłobek. Cerkiew fil. gr.-kat. p.w. Narodzenia NPMarii, oprac. Szanter Z., Archiwum Wojewódzkiego Urzędu Ochrony Zabytków Delegatura w Krośnie.
• Bańkosz R., Cerkwie bieszczadzkich Bojków, Krosno 2010.
• Kryciński S., Cerkwie w Bieszczadach, Pruszków 1995.
• Katalog Zabytków Sztuki w Polsce, Woj. krośnieńskie, Lesko, Sanok, Ustrzyki Dolne i okolice, Warszawa 1982.
• Szematyzmy duchowieństwa grecko-katolickiego z lat 1877, 1879, 1927, 1936, 1938-39.
• Saładiak A., Pamiątki i zabytki kultury ukraińskiej w Polsce, Warszawa 1993.